The Tsunami

by Marshall Miller

Propelled by the remembered voice, Aleks was on her feet. She threw open the closet door and grabbed the Saiga 12 gauge. Fuzz had met the second Eater head-on, not giving an inch. He reared up on his hind legs, his front paws clawing at the alien. His teeth severed three clawed fingers of the Eater’s right hand as it tried to grab the war dog’s muzzle. The creature let out a howling, screeching scream that Aleks would never forget. It grabbed Fuzz with its other clawed hand, trying to pull Fuzz’s muzzle toward its open maw. Aleks had the Saiga now, and saw the open maw. She knew that the Eater could regurgitate highly corrosive stomach acid on near prey, blinding and maiming it.

  Again, she saw in her mind’s eye Stalin slamming them around during bayonet training.“Think you will always be able to easily shoot your enemy? Think again, you sorry fuckers. Now watch. You will thank me one day.”

  Automatically, she went into a high throat thrust, up and over Fuzz and into the left eye of the Eater. She had no bayonet on the weapon but she had a heavy steel barrel. She stabbed it into the eye, ocher eye liquid squirting out. As the Eater began to scream again, she pulled the trigger.

  What passed as the brain and the skull of the six-limbed monster was expelled out onto the hallway walls. The recoil almost jerked the shotgun from her grasp. But, pregnant or not, Aleks was still a strong woman. She hung on, bringing it back toward her for another thrust. It was not necessary. The Eater collapsed like a deflated balloon.

  There was sudden silence, other than the harsh breathing of Fuzz and Aleks. No more creatures appeared. Aleks plunked down next to the dog, and threw her arms around his neck, blubbering in Russian, Ukrainian, and English. “You big, wonderful beast you. You saved me, and you saved my unborn children. You fantastic dog—I love you!”

  Then she noticed the red blood that was not hers. She screamed and wailed as she realized her four legged savior was hurt. She did not hear the front glass door window shatter, nor the voice of a brave young woman who managed to climb through the opening she had created.

  “Major Smirnov,” the young officer’s wife, Sue Brown, called as she rounded the hallway corner and saw the screaming, crying woman, the bleeding dog, and the dead Eaters.

  “Call 911!” Aleks screamed, then fainted.

  Abigail and Torbin were on the Live Fire Tactical Range Six, running a dozen butterbars through some tough drills. They were being forced to shoot, make decisions, maneuver, and give commands. Best to make mistakes here rather than on the battlefield. Two technicians were in the front, working on the P.A. system that was giving them fits. Thus they had no direct communications with the range house, their cellphones turned off.

  They had just finished a course of Fire and Movement when Torbin’s electronic hearing protectors registered a whistle. He turned around and looked. He saw the pudgy civilian Range Master, Mr. Arel, running as fast as he could toward them, blowing a whistle. He was in his sixties, had been involved in firearms training before Torbin was out of diapers. Too old for active military service, he still served the U.S. by training people for combat.

  “Hold them up a minute, Abigail. Something’s going on.” Torbin started walking to meet the Range Master. Arel clambered to a stop, trying to talk between gasps for breath.

  “Need you…back…at home. Wife…Eaters.”

  Torbin’s blood went cold. He grabbed Arel’s arm. “What the hell are you saying? My wife was attacked by Eaters?”

  “Yes…Is okay…”

  “Captain Young,” he yelled before he realized Abigail was standing nearby, and had heard Mr. Arel.

  “Go, Torbin. I’ll clean up here.”

  Arel gulped. “His wife…was saved by your dog.”

  “Fuzz saved her? Is he okay?” Abigail’s stomach flip flopped. Bad enough Aleks was almost hurt. Now, Fuzz.

  “Don’t know, Ma’am. Sorry.”

  Abigail made a quick decision. “Go, check on Fuzz for me. I’ll stay here.”

  A surprisingly firm, loud voice cut in. Lt. Singh was a small East Indian female, just five feet tall. She had done alright in officers training, but was not known for speaking up. So the way her voice carried was a surprise.

  “Ma’am, Sir. Begging your pardon. We can clean up here.”

  Torbin looked at her, surprised about what she just said. “Come again?”

  Lt. Singh drew herself up to her full height. “We are Commissioned Officers, are we not? We may be in training, but we still are trained officers. Please trust me when I say we can handle putting this range in order. You and the Captain need to go now, to your friends and family. It’s not like we are on a battlefield. Sir…Ma’am.”

  There were other affirmative comments from the other butterbars. One comment heard was, “We won’t let you down. We wouldn’t dare.” Torbin surveyed what was to him were too many young faces. He felt a rush and a sense of pride. Young people stepped up for the first of many times since pinning their rank on. A small first step maybe, but a step nonetheless.

  “Alright, you’ve got it. Lt Singh.”

  “Sir.”

  “This is your detail. Don’t screw it up.”

  Unprompted, all twelve Lieutenants snapped to. “Sir, yes Sir!” They were telling Torbin they were a team, and they would insure Lt. Singh succeeded. They were coming together faster than he expected.

  “Come on, Abigail, I’ll drive.”

  They ran to their Humvee. Mr. Arel, finally having his breath back, turned at looked at the young officers.

  “You just did yourselves proud. May seem minor, but you’ll all remember this day.” He turned and walked off. He just had a big dose of hope.

  Legend had it that Torbin set a new land speed record in a Humvee. He used the siren and wig-wags to blow through one of the back gates. Then he was at the housing area. As he pulled up to their street he saw the mass of activity and vehicles around the duplex, including a large meat wagon/crash truck. His heart sank. An oversized cargo truck, the large square back was like a small mobile emergency room. It was usually on an active runway for aircraft crashes and fires. That was not a good sign. People entering his place in hazmat suits was also not good.

  He found a place to squeeze in the Humvee and park. He and Abigail got out, and headed toward the duplex.

  Then he heard a loud yell.

  “Torbin. Husband.” He looked up and saw that it was coming from the back of the meat wagon. Aleks. Alive. And fighting with an EMT to keep the oxygen mask off her face, a good sign. He sprinted to the back, the two EMTs getting a look of relief on their faces. The female Sergeant started talking.

  “Sir, we are trying to get her to the ER. But she refuses to go until she checks on the dog. She keeps trying to beat the shit out of us…”

  “And I will!” Aleks yelled. “Fuzz saved me and our children. I will not leave until he is okay!” One of the twins chose that moment to kick her hard inside her stomach. She almost doubled over. Torbin laid his hands on her large belly and began to rub it, gently, speaking in low tones.

  “Hey guys, lighten up. It’s Dad. You need to calm down. Everything is okay.” Aleks’ agitation had transmitted to the twins, not a good thing. He caught his wife’s gaze. “Babe, you need to calm down and let these nice people take you to the ER, to check on the kids. I’ll make sure Fuzz is okay.”

  Aleks began to sob. “He took one out just as it was about to eat me! Then he fought the second one, giving me a chance to get the shotgun. Then there was dog blood all over. If he dies, I’ll never forgive myself.” Torbin hugged her, kept a hand on her belly as she bawled on his shoulder.

  “Aleks, it’s Abigail. I’ll go check.” Abigail dashed for Bender’s side of the duplex. A man in a hazmat suit tried to stop her and she bowled past him. Then she saw vet Emily Anders with the base vet, a Major Shaw. Laying on the dining table was a very large dog. Fuzz.

  Emily looked up and saw Abigail. “Aw, his human. Captain Young, if you please.”

  The man in the hazmat suit, now seeing the third person force the
ir way into a contaminated area, threw up his hands in exasperation. If they wanted to risk dying over a dog, so be it. Abigail walked up, a cold, hard knot in her stomach. Fuzz, catching her scent, thumped his tail, tried to look at her. Abigail saw he was sedated.

  “How bad is he?” she asked.

  Emily answered. “It looks a lot worse than it was. He had a couple of cuts from smashing thru the sliding glass door. Then he had a bunch of those quills in his neck and muzzle from the Eater’s arms. The good thing is they do not have those little hooks on the end like our porcupine does. So it is a matter of pulling them straight out with pliers, then slapping disinfectant on them.”

  She patted Fuzz’s head gently. “We had to sedate him as he would not let any males near Major Smirnov. Sergeant Martinez had responded and helped me get him under control. Otherwise, they may have shot him to get to the pregnant Major.”

  Abigail looked at Emily. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “Scanner traffic. I heard Eaters and came running. I want the chance of examining them every time I can. Then, I heard about a big beast of a dog kicking their asses, and knew it had to be Fuzz.”

  Abigail slowly reached out to Fuzz, scratched his ears. He sighed, now that he knew his mistress was here.

  “Will he…be okay?”

  Emily chuckled. “Okay? Hell, this hellhound is too nasty to let some monster put him down. He will be just fine after a night’s rest. Like I said, there was blood, but nothing serious.”

  Abigail had a lump in her throat. “See what you did, you big brute. You went and got into a fight, and got hurt. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Love the crap out of him,” Emily answered. “And, when he is better, I would like to mate him with one of my bitches, a full blood Dane. I cannot let a heart like his disappear. Hopefully the right genes will be passed on. Is it a deal?”

  Abigail smiled. “Of course. Anything you want, Doctor. You just saved my big fella.”

  At her request, the two vets helped Abigail lift Fuzz and carry him to her quarters. There, she had him placed on her bed. “I’ll sleep on the floor until he comes to.”

  Emily put her arm around Abigail. “Anybody ever tell you that you are one hell of a dog lover?”

  Abigail teared up. The vet hugged her. “Trust me, he’ll be just fine. Now, I need to get back to my clinic. Call me if you need anything.”

  Abigail wiped her eyes, patting Fuzz. “Relax, big fella. I’ll be back shortly.”

  She ran outside to the back of the meat wagon where Torbin was trying to calm down his wife. The EMTs had managed to get an oxygen mask on Aleks to help her relax. When she saw Abigail, she ripped the mask off again.

  “Fuzz. He is okay?”

  “Yes, Aleks. The injuries were relatively minor, more blood than real damage. They gave him a sedative because he was so agitated protecting you, he wouldn’t let anyone near. Sgt. Martinez from the kennel was on patrol, and she was a godsend, got him to let the medics see to you until the vets arrived.”

  Aleks cursed. “Such a worthless pig I am. I collapsed, fainted like a schoolgirl. Had there been another Eater, Fuzz would have been all alone.” She began to cry. “I’m just a fat cow, worthless as a soldier.”

  Torbin knew it was hormones and pregnancy talking, affecting her.

  “Babe, you are carrying twins that are kicking the crap out of you. Of course you fainted. Your circulation was probably all screwed up.”

  “That is no excuse. If not for that beautiful beast, I would be dead.” Torbin hugged her, and let her cry out her frustrations. Finally, she stopped. One of the EMTs provided her some soft bandage material to use as a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose. Abigail then put her arm around her big sister.

  “Aleks, Fuzz did what he wanted to do, which was protect you. He will be okay. Then, you can spoil him some more when you think I’m not looking.”

  Aleks kissed her. “Promise me you will let him watch over me, still? I promise I will try and not spoil him with snacks so much. I promise.”

  Abigail smiled. “I couldn’t stop him if I tried. Those trolls you say you have in your stomach have been claimed by him as new pack members. So, he will not let anything happen to them, or you.”

  “Now, wife,” Torbin interrupted. “You will go to the hospital for a quick checkup. I will be there soon. I need to secure our home and review the damage. Okay?”

  His soldier and spy wife smiled. “Yes, husband. I hear and obey.”

  Torbin snorted. “Obey? That’s a first.”

  As the EMTs began to secure Aleks in the meat wagon, Torbin noticed there was a familiar-looking young lady sitting in the back of another ambulance, having her leg bandaged.

  He asked a Military Police Sergeant. “Excuse me. What happened to her?”

  “Oh, you probably weren’t told, Major. That’s Lt. Brown’s dependent wife. She heard the screams and kicked your front door window in, getting cut for her efforts. She’ll be okay. She’s the one that got there first, and called 911.”

  “Excuse me.” Torbin walked quickly over to the ambulance.

  Sue Brown was examining the EMT’s handiwork, so at first she did not notice Torbin’s approach. Then, she looked up, with instant recognition on her face as she saw him. She started to stand up.

  “Whoa. What do you think you are doing? That looks like a bandage on your leg. I think you need to stay off of it for a while.”

  Sue smiled sheepishly. “I was a bit clumsy. Sorry I broke the door window, Sir.”

  Torbin examined this unassuming North Dakota farm girl, who was not a trained warrior. Yet, she had gone into harm’s way when she heard screams for help. When Torbin saw people like her, outweighing the Krakens, the scavengers, the criminals still in human society, he had hope. Maybe they would be more than a bunch of nasty monkeys, intent on raping and killing each other, and actually band together to kick the Tschaaa off the Earth.

  “Pardon me for a moment, Ma’am, while I get personal.” He reached forward, gently holding her face and kissed her forehead. “Young lady, to say I appreciate what you did is one of the great understatements in the universe. I remember those who help me and mine. If you ever need help, feel free to ask. Off the record, just between you and me, no questions asked.”

  The Lieutenant’s wife blushed. “I did what anyone else would have done, Major. Nothing more.”

  “Not true, Ma’am. Most people would have frozen. You went right in. Take it from one who knows. When it comes to fight or flight, most people without formal training choose flight.”

  He took her hand, gently squeezed it. “Tell your husband he had better treat you right. Anybody who helps save my wife and unborn children deserves the best.”

  Sue smiled, her eyes damp. “Thank you, Major. Coming from you…it means something.”

  “I’ll get ahold of your husband. No, it’s no problem. We had to cut training short because of this anyway. He needs to wait on you as that leg is going to hurt a bit.” Torbin patted her shoulder. “Thanks again.”

  As he walked away Sue Brown thought about how someone who was such a hero could be such a real person. She also worried that her husband would be upset when he heard she was injured. Well, now he would know how she felt when she thought of him being hurt. Right now, she just wanted to give him a big hug.

  Torbin had one of the MP units call the range, and then sent a patrol unit to pick up Lt. Brown. His wife needed him. Just then, he walked up and looked in the front door of his quarters. The hazmat personnel had finished cleaning up, tagging and bagging the alien remains. They still worried about possible infectious germs and materials form the Eaters, though other than the extreme stomach acids, none had been found yet. He looked at the french door, the broken front door window, and knew the hallway was trashed. Well, Aleks could bunk with Abigail until he repaired the damage.

  “Excuse me, Sir.” A voice came from behind him. He stepped back and quickly three workman in civilian clo
thes and carpenters belts walked by him, two of them carrying a large piece of sheetrock. They went right in to his home as he watched, surprised. He had not called any repair people.

  He walked back to the MP Sergeant, a Staff Sergeant Sorenson. “Sergeant, where did these people come from? I didn’t request any repairmen.”

  The Sergeant smiled. “Taken care of Sir. Compliments of my brother in law. He owns a good-sized hardware store, does construction on the side. I called him when I saw the damage. He wanted to help, knew it would take the Base civil engineers a while to get things organized.”

  Torbin became angry. “Goddamnit. I did not ask for any special treatment. I can take care of things myself.”

  “Sir, my brother-in-law just wants to help. You know, after what you did in Key West, everyone feels they owe you…”

  “Goddamnit! Is this what’s going to happen with anything I’m involved in? I’m just a grunt, just a Marine. I’m no hero. Show me a hero, I’ll show you a bum.”

  Another voice broke in “Well, my mustang, I see you are pissed off again. Is my adopted daughter Aleks okay?” It was General Reed. When he had heard what had happened, he had responded as quickly as he could.

  Torbin snapped to. “Sir. Sorry Sir. Aleks is okay, headed to the hospital for a full checkup. Just venting. This goddamn hero shit is getting old real quick. All I want is a field command, not be something placed on the shelf, dusted off for parades.”

  Then, an unfamiliar voice broke in. “Well, I guess the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I just heard a kick ass Marine whine.”

  Both General Reed and Torbin turned to the source of the comment. No one had seen Commissioner Paul Miller, head of Federal Law Enforcement arrive. He was standing back, arms folded, observing the tableau.

  “Commissioner Miller. What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

  “General, when Eaters, an alien life form, magically appear on a military installation, it is probably safe to assume they were smuggled from somewhere. Smuggling falls under my purview. So being in town, I came with a couple of investigators, some forensics folks. I don’t want to step on any toes, but I need to find out how they got here, unnoticed. This may have been an old fashioned attempted murder, using a very unique weapon. Whatever happened, I need to find out.”